Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eau Claire, WI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,182 in Eau Claire, WI, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Eau Claire, WI
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Eau Claire, WI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Eau Claire, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,182

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Eau Claire, WI and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Eau Claire, WI and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Eau Claire, WI versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Eau Claire, WI $2,182
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Eau Claire, WI versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Eau Claire, WI $3,118
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in Eau Claire, WI versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Eau Claire, WI $4,054
Phuket $2,845

Living in Eau Claire, WI is roughly 81% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Eau Claire, WI is 61% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$4.40 ฿147

328.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 $66.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

105.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$8.76 ฿293

12.44%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$2.83 ฿94.5

83.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.90 ฿30.14

203.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.47 ฿15.56

212.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.55 ฿85.2

60.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.83 ฿128

60.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.73 ฿57.7

-52.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.47 ฿49.11

130.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.51 ฿50.6

183.44%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$2.17 ฿72.7

68.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$19.70 ฿658

-34.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$3.34 ฿112

301.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$11.16 ฿373

31.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.85 ฿95.1

62.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.70 ฿56.9

-28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.19 ฿73.3

54.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.05 ฿68.4

141.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.45 ฿48.57

95.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.38 ฿46.16

124.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.07 ฿35.69

40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.51 ฿16.91

358.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.63 $10.63

$4.26 ฿142

149.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$18.58 ฿621

-20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.78 ฿59.7

20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.85 ฿95.2

59.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.26 ฿75.6

-7.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.80 $49.80

$22.10 ฿738

125.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.01 ฿101

32.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.06 ฿35.34

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.96 $42.96

$3.86 ฿129

1012.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.45 ฿48.45

-39.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

1.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.98%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$216 $216

$96.4 ฿3,221

123.76%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$48.81 $48.81

$11.04 ฿369

342.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$17.14 ฿573

302.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 $56.0

$52.2 ฿1,744

7.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$11.16 ฿373

80.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 $11.07

$7.81 ฿261

41.74%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$996 $996

$556 ฿18.6K

79.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

100.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.99 $48.99

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.26 $30.26

$28.69 ฿959

5.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$95.4 ฿3,187

13.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 $82.1

$88.0 ฿2,940

-6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 $1,028

$737 ฿24.6K

39.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 $894

$462 ฿15.5K

93.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-13.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 $1,260

$1,201 ฿40.1K

4.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,149 $2,149

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-38.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 $1,946

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-22.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,910 $3,910

$501 ฿16.7K

680.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.57

19.39%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Eau Claire, WI: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Eau Claire, WI

$894 41%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 48.3% $432

Groceries & Markets

Eau Claire, WI

$391 17.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 31.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eau Claire, WI

$333 15.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 62.6% $209

Eating Out

Eau Claire, WI

$292 13.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 58.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Eau Claire, WI

$121 5.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 2.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Eau Claire, WI

$78 3.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Eau Claire, WI

$72 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 45.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Eau Claire, WI and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eau Claire, WI pays 681% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Eau Claire, WI vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Eau Claire, WI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

18:39 6:39 PM

12 h ahead of Eau Claire, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,802

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Eau Claire, WI Phuket 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Eau Claire, WI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 681% higher in Eau Claire, WI, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Eau Claire, WI versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Eau Claire, WI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $66.0 in Eau Claire, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,182 in Eau Claire, WI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Eau Claire, WI. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Eau Claire, WI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Eau Claire, WI and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Eau Claire, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.